Before I update ya’ll on our arrival in Louisiana,I should tell you about our road-trip! We had a very enjoyable time and took it slow to stop and visit the zoo,see the sights and visit with friends. I have now added Arizona,New Mexico,Texas and Louisiana to my “New States Visited”list. 
Driving through California really changed my view of the state! I didn’t realize how much open farmland and uninhabited areas it contains in the northern part of the state. What I thought L.A. would look like and what it actually looked like were two entirely different pictures. It had many more hills and trees and looked more rugged than I had thought.
The Grapevine
Our first overnight stop was in Sacramento which made for a quick drive from Medford. Our hotel was comfortable and just around the corner from the Stoos’home where we enjoyed a delicious brunch and visit with John and Linda.Then it was on to Santa Clarita for dinner with the Craw and Richardson family.The drive up the grapevine was beautiful and we enjoyed our stay overnight in Santa Clarita with the Richardsons. Theia and Vance quickly made friends with their children and enjoyed getting their wiggles out before the next leg of our journey.
It was a nice surprise to connect with my friend,Rijel,from college who lives in the L.A. area. I haven’t seen her since our wedding six years ago so we spent some time catching up and eating lunch before heading on to Phoenix,AZ.
When we didn’t stay with friends,we nabbed hotel rooms with Priceline’s Name Your Own Price feature. Wow! Talk about good deals. We stayed at 3+ star hotels our entire trip for the cost of budget motels. Plus we had one stay that ended up being comped due to issues with the room.
Phoenix,Arizona was HOT and dry and it was only April. I could feel my skin being parched the minute I stepped out of the car. We stayed Saturday and Sunday night in Phoenix and worshiped at Emmanuel Covenant Church. We were excited to meet up with our friends,Uriah and Kat Gunn who had also arrived on Saturday night from their cross-country move. Talk about timing. It had been several years since we last visited with them,so it was a joy to see their family and enjoy lunch at TGIFridays together. Sunday afternoon we relaxed and swam in the hotel pool.
Monday we pressed on and reached Las Cruces,New Mexico. We debated back and forth about staying in Las Cruces or El Paso,Texas and received several recommendations to NOT stop overnight in El Paso. Las Cruces is the most beautiful desert city I’ve been through. It is nestled like a green jewel at the base of the Organ mountains. The Rio Grande river flows through it and keeps it looking fresh while surrounded by dry desert. They have one of the top Farmer’s Markets in the nation!
History of La Posta
Our dinner at the historic La Posta Restaurant was outstanding. It’s a must-stop if you’re ever driving through. The lobby is filled with cages of parrots and other tropical birds. Some of them “talk”and the kids got a kick out of conversing with them.
(To Be Continued)
